Adaptive Protocols For Cellular Networks: Modeling & Implementation

在多种接入条件下用于无线和移动通信的蜂窝网络依赖于良好的协议来(a)在存在干扰的情况下分配频谱带宽，(b)控制参与用户之间的接入，以及(c)以无缝的方式支持稳健的服务质量。该建议解决了资源管理协议的一个共同潜在目标，即根据频谱效率、呼叫丢失率或呼叫阻塞率、成功切换的比例和控制机制的复杂性等网络指标提供性能保证。当然，这些性能保证受制于服务质量因素和网络建模拓扑中的无线电干扰约束。研究人员提出了新的分布式协议的设计和分析，以自适应分配频谱资源，实现呼叫接纳和支持切换，同时试图优化一个或多个理想的性能因素，例如最大化频谱利用率，最小化干扰，保持可接受的服务质量等。预计这项工作还将侧重于对不断变化的当地条件迅速作出反应的战略，并尽可能避免集中规划和控制。基于令人鼓舞的初步结果，本提案将使用一种通用方法，该方法包括将协议设计问题作为在线实例，近似算法与未知但最优的“对抗性”协议竞争。这项工作的总体目标是双重的。首先，研究人员将开发一套协议，结合现实模型，尽可能忠实地考虑约束，同时保证理论上推导的性能界限。此外，这项工作还将与本科生合作开发一个全面的基于网络的可视化工具，该工具可用于通过对综合和真实网络流量数据进行广泛的实证测试来验证协议。

Cellular networks, used in wireless and mobile communications under multiple access conditions, depend upon good protocols to (a) allocate spectral bandwidth in the presence of interference, (b) control access among participating users and (c) support robust quality of service in a seamless manner. This proposal addresses a common underlying goal of resource management protocols, viz. the provision of guarantees on performance measured in terms of network indicators such as spectral efficiency, rate of call loss or call blocking, fraction of successful handoffs and the complexity of control mechanisms. Naturally, these performance guarantees are subject to the service quality factors and to the radio interference constraints in the modeled topology of the network.The researcher proposes the design and analysis of new, distributed protocols to adaptively allocate spectrum resources, implement call admission and support handoffs while simultaneously trying to optimize one or more desireable performance factors, e.g. maximizing spectral utilization, minimizing interference, maintaining acceptable service quality etc. The work is further expected to focus on strategies that react quickly to changing local conditions and that try to avoid centralized planning and control as much as possible. Building upon encouraging preliminary results, this proposal will use a general approach that consists of formulating such protocol design problems as instances of online, approximation algorithms competing with unknown but optimal "adversarial" protocols.The overall goals of this work are two-fold. First the researcher will develop a suite of protocols in conjunction with realistic models that account for constraints as faithfully as possible, while guaranteeing theoretically derived bounds on performance. In addition, the work will be complemented by collaborations with undergraduate students to develop a comprehensive web-based visualization tool that can be used to validate the protocols through extensive empirical testing on both systhesized and real-world network traffic data.